Wolverhampton Student Union bars set to close

10.47.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 19th May 2008

Colin Ross, Adam Teladia and Robin Lawrence campaigning against Student Fees

This Friday when the Student Union bars and shop closes at the University of Wolverhampton they are unlikely to open again.

The bars and shop have not been making enough money and the Student's Union Executive have decided to cut their loses and close them. The Union will still continue to provide both academic and welfare advice for their students.

It is a great shame that the bars and shop will close, when I came to the University back in 1994 they were well used and were an excellent place to socialise with other students and meet new friends. The bars also acted as a 'safe space' for students, not that Wolverhampton is (or was) a particularly dangerous place for students to be out but it guaranteed the student's safety to a great extent.

I hope the bars and the shop do re-open but I can understand why this has happened, there are three main reasons that have led to this as far as I can see:

1. The introduction of tuition fees by the Labour Government has greatly changed the demographic of the students, far more are likely to live at home to reduce the financial pressures. This has led to a greater proportion of students not using the Student Union as they keep some of the pre-University friend groups and/or don't want to come back in the SU when they have got home (the halls of residence are right on the doorstep of the Union and it is easy to go the the SU bars from there). There has also been an increase in Muslim students at the University. partly as we have a large Muslim population in Wolverhampton - this of course is a good thing - though clearly not for alcohol sales!

2. The rise of mobile phones and the cheap tariffs has also impacted on many SU bars. Before the rise in mobiles everyone would agree to meet at the Union and wait for everyone to turn up or more likely stay there. Now it is incredible easy to text your mates and tell them what bar or pub you have moved to. When I was a student I don't think anyone had a mobile, now virtually all students do.

3. The old chestnut of other pubs undercutting the SU, this happened even when I was a student but not to the extent it happens now. At least three pubs in Wolverhampton offer a student discount card - so cheap beer is no longer the preserve of the Union.